Wood County OhArchives News.....The Collision on the Dayton and Michigan Railroad. September 30, 1863 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/ohfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Karen Pate karana@aggienetwork.com November 5, 2013, 3:32 pm The Collision On The Dayton And Michigan Railroad. The Weekly Perrysburg Journal. Perrysburg, Wood County, Ohio. Sep 30, 1863, P. 3. September 30, 1863 On Tuesday, the 22d inst., a special train, composed of locomotive and eight or ten freight and cattle cars, came up from Toledo for the purpose of conveying tho Wood County Volunteer Militia Companies to the Military Encampment at Toledo. The train passed up to Tontogany about eight o'clock, and returned to Perry sbnrg between nine and ten, each car, with the exception of the four forward ones, being filled with soldiers. At this place the mijority of the Perrysburg Company took the second, third and fourth cars, although several members got into the first car. Before starting, however, about twenty- five or thirty members of a company from Webster and Freedom townships arrived, and were put in the first car. and the members or the Perrysburg Company, who were therein took the second car. The train soon after started, amid the cheer of the volunteers and their friends who had assembled at the depot -and cheering and singing was heartily indulged in by those on board until speedily stopped by "dire disaster." The writer of this, was sitting on a bench in the doorway of the third car - an ordinary freight-car - looking outward, and when on the curve of the road near Toledo, our companion, who was leaning out of the car and looking forward, excitedly exclaimed, " Oh ! look there ! " We looked, and saw, but a few rods in advance, another train approaching and without taking a second look, we leaped, were thrown on "all fours" into the sand, but instantly commenced "scrambling " up the bank, to escape the expected wreck. A moment after, we looked toward the train, and beheld two wrecked locomotives, the first car of our train crushed to splinters, and more than two-thirds of its inmates scattered about, killed or wounded. The two locomotives were completely "driven together," and badly damaged. The tender of the engine drawing the " Volunteer" train was thrown from its trucks on to the platform of the first car, instantly killing John Scott and William Philo, and badly wounding and holding underneath it, John Hathaway. To remove these, the tended had to be pried off the platform into the ditch. The body of the second car was also thrown forward and sideways, and partly on the platform of the first car, and.the rear end tipped into the ditch. From the appearance of the wreck, it seemed a wonder that no more persons were instantly killed. The casualties, as nearly as can be ascertained, were as follows : KILLED. John Scott, of Webster township, William Philo, " " WOUNDED. William J. Fenton - seriously wounded by the passage of a stick, nearly the size of a man's wrist, through his body. William Fenton - uncle of above, severely wounded in the head, and collar-bone broken. Samuel Keyes - bruised hip, arm, and side. Charles Thomas - leg broken. Abraham Jolly - skull broken and back injured. John Hathway - severely injured in head and back. Joseph Crays - bruised shoulder and leg. John Basor - bruised hed, leg, and side. Henry Biddel - elbow dislocated and knee bruised. Henry Long - fracture of small bone of leg. Freeman Pember - bruised in leg. George Bower - slightly bruised, Noye Brandeberry - slightly bruised. Noah Bradley - slight bruise in leg. A. Bushnell - bruised back and shoulders. Alvin C. Austin - bruised leg and hip. Rufus F. Austin - bruised head and shoulder. Charles Stahler - bruised head and shoulder. John B. Muir - bruised, and severe wound in thigh. Asahel Philo, brother of Wm. Philo, killed, seriously bruised in back. Jonathan Conser-bruised in limbs and head. Samuel Bason - thigh broken. William Wilson - bruised foot. Robert M. Davidson - leg bruised and head cut, not serious. The majority of the above are from Webster Township, although some of them reside in Freedom and Washinton Townships, this county. The only person from Perrysburg who was disabled, was P.L. Mahr, whose ancle [sic] was severely sprained by jumping from the train. Immediately after the accident, several persons hastened to Toledo for physicians, four or five of whom were promptly on the groun, rendering all possible aid to the sufferers. The Railroad Company, as soon as possible, removed the wounded men to the Oliver House, where they received the best attention, and the day following the accident, all but twelve had returned to their homes. The bodies of the men who were killed were made ready for burial and placed in coffins by the Railroad Company, and forwarded to their friends on the Tuesday evening's train. John Scott, we are informed, leaves a wife and five children, and William Philo a wife and one child. We are not aware that the Railroad Company has yet decided on whom rests the responsiblity for the accident-but that a fearful responsibility does rest on some employee of the Company, all must be aware. The extra train rain at high speed all the way from Perrysburg - much more rapidly than any other train we have been on, during all our travels on the Dayton and Michigan Railroad. It is said, however, that the engineer had orders to be in Toledo before the departure of the Cleveland train, and that he was compelled to run fast to accomplish it. The other train consisted of a locomotive and three or four cattle-cars, and the engineer in charge, we believe, was going out to get some empty cars which were standing on a side track. HELP FOB THE FAMILIES OF THE KILLED. Governor Tod, at the review of the Militia on Wednesday afternoon last, referred to tho accident, and to the helpless aud bereaved families of those who lost their lives while on their way to the encampment, and proposed that a fund be raised for their benefit; he suggested that each soldier attending tho encampment contribute fifty cents that sum to be paid by each one to the Colonel of his regiment, that officer to hand the sum received to General Hill, to be placed by him in the hand of the Commissioners of Wood county, with the request that they appropriate the same at their discretion, for the benefit of the families of the deceased. He said this would make a fund of over five thousand dollars. The Governor said he would pay his fifty cents to General Hill, and he doubted not that the members of his staff would do the same. All seemed pleased with the humane proposition of the Governor, and we are informed that many spectators at the review, came forward and contributed to the fund. Certain we are, that, if all the soldiers in camp as readily and cheerfully responded to the proposition as did the Wood County "boys" - which we do not doubt - the fund raised, will do much toward alleviating the wants of the sorrow-stricken families. And whatever may be the amount raised, to Governor Tod is due the honor of inaugurating the scheme which, however, could only have become really beneficial through the liberality of the Volunteer Militia of the Ninth Military District. Present Condition of the Wounded. N. H. Callard, Esq, who made inquiries after the patients at the Oliver House, on Monday last, informs us that there are now eleven of the wounded men remaining in the hospital, as follows : Samuel Baser, Wm. Fenton, Wm. J. Fenton, John Hathaway, John Muir, Abel Jolly, Robert Davidson, William Wilson, Henry Biddle, and Charles Thomas. Other name not given. Most of the above are rapidly improving, and it is now believed that all will recover. Abel Jolly is improving slowly. His case is hopeful. William J. Fenton, who had the stick run through his body, has every prospect of a speedy recovery. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/wood/newspapers/thecolli137gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ohfiles/ File size: 8.3 Kb